LA Times tells left-leaning opinion writers to publish fewer columns as staffers fume over red-pilled owner: report

The Los Angeles Times will reportedly slash commentary from its left-leaning opinion writers — and staffers are said to be fuming over the owner cozying up to President Trump.Robin Abcarian, Jackie Calmes and LZ Granderson were informed by their superiors that they are expected to publish one opinion piece per week rather than their usual two, according to a report in Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter.Abcarian is a veteran LA Times columnist who writes about politics, culture and social issues.Her columns have traditionally appeared in the Wednesday and Sunday editions of the paper.Calmes’ opinion pieces normally focus on national politics and policy.

Granderson’s columns explore the intersection of sports, culture and politics.Staffers at the newspaper suspect that the move to reduce the three writers’ weekly output is a byproduct of owner Dr.Patrick Soon-Shiong’s intent to ingratiate himself with Republicans and the White House, according to Status.Earlier this week, Soon-Shiong announced his intent to clean house at the LA Times by offering voluntary buyouts to staffers with over two years of tenure as well.LA Times staffers have reportedly been furious with Soon-Shiong over a recent interview he granted to Bari Weiss’ the Free Press, in which he acknowledged having taken the “red pill” — a reference to the film “The Matrix,” which, in current context, means becoming more aligned with Republicans.Soon-Shiong, who made his fortune in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, told the Free Press that he regretted the newspaper’s endorsement of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the Democrat who has been widely criticized for her handling of the recent devastating wildfires.The Times owner said the Bass endorsement was borne out of “confirmation bias” as well as “echo chambers” and “false assumptions” about race and politics among the newspaper’s staffers.According to Status, Soon-Shiong’s comments “infuriated staffers inside the Tim...